By Aria Brent,
AFRO Staff Writer,
abrent@afro.com
The fastest woman in the world, Sha’Carri Richardson, was honored in her hometown earlier this month. The 23-year-old track star’s legacy was cemented into the City of Dallas with Nov.10 being officially named “Sha’Carri Richardson Day.”
Richardson was officially named the fastest woman in the world earlier this year after winning the women’s 100 meter race with a time of 10.65 seconds at the 2023 Track and Field World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
In addition to having a day dedicated to her, she was also honored with the naming of a track in her honor by her former school district, Dallas Independent School District (DallaISD). The field is located at the Jesse Owens Athletic Complex in the Kincaide Stadium, which is approximately a mile away from Carter High School, where the young athlete graduated from and won several state titles.
“Thank you to every student, school, coach, dignitary, teammate, friend, my city and especially my family for showing up and pouring so much love into me,” Richardson stated on Instagram. “Words cannot express how I feel in this moment. Thank you! Dallas, this is just the beginning!”
The decision to name the track after this year’s Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year was made unanimously by the DallasISD Board of Trustees for both her phenomenal athletic achievements and her roots in the Dallas community. DallasISD Trustee Joyce Foreman represents district six where Carter High is located and she had a very hands-on role in making this honor happen. Foreman spoke to the AFRO about how the process of getting the track named after Richardson went and why she felt this honor was necessary.
“I met Sha’Carri in 2017 and I got the opportunity to watch her run for Carter High School. After Sha’Carri became internationally known in her last race, [making] her the fastest woman in the world, her coach, Lauren Cross from Carter High School, contacted me and wanted to know if there was an opportunity to name a track after her,” said Foreman. “I thought it was an excellent idea and then began to work as a trustee, or to try to get the district to move forward and wave policy so we could go ahead and name the track immediately after her.”
“It is extremely important for young people to be able to identify with individuals like Sha’Carri and it was important for me to make that happen as soon as possible,” stated Foreman.
The wins that Richardson has received seem to not only be for her but the city of Dallas as an entirety. She spoke to this matter when sharing how honored and grateful she was on Twitter, stating: “This means so much if you’re from the city, you know the stadium is rooted in memories. I’m literally speechless.”
Natives of the city seem to be just as excited about this honor as the athlete herself. Richardson noted that she’s not only showing that greatness lies within the youth of Dallas, but she’s also giving them something to believe in.
“It’s amazing to me, considering there was a time where there were no Black people being honored. The fact that Black women are being honored is so inspiring,” said Dallas native, Darien Carter. “It uplifts the community and not just for the city of Dallas but for all of the United States. This honor is showing our youth that if they do their best, they can accomplish great things.”
Foreman also discussed how this honor directly affects the youth but especially students in DallasISD. She’s hoping Richardson’s story and proximity in age will serve as additional encouragement for the young scholars.
“Sometimes our students need extra encouragement and I believe Sha’Carri shows that extra resilience. She shows that you can fall down and still get up. She is a prime example of what life is,” said Foreman. “The young people identify with her. She took pictures with every school that showed up because she was so determined to meet with our young people and to let them know that they could be her. She encouraged the young people at the ceremony to just keep going. I think that’s what our children need.”
The post City of Dallas debuts ‘Sha’Carri Richardson Day’ in honor of native track star appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers .
